New Delhi: Sharmistha Mukherjee, daughter of former President Pranab Mukherjee, has reacted strongly to Sonia Gandhi’s claim that her father once hinted at wanting to become prime minister. She said there was nothing unusual about his ambition, given his long career, experience and ability.
What Sonia Recalled
In her new memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, Sonia Gandhi writes about a conversation with Pranab Mukherjee in 2010. She says he was upset over differences with then finance minister P. Chidambaram and told her that “perhaps it was time for a change at the top.”
Sonia says she understood this as a sign of his wish to become prime minister. She writes that she did not respond directly and changed the subject instead. “I gently changed the subject, and though he may have been disappointed, he never made me feel he held it against me,” she wrote.
She also praised Mukherjee’s deep knowledge of Congress history, world affairs and philosophy. According to her, he could sometimes become angry, but the Congress later made him its presidential candidate in 2012, and he was elected President, as reported by The New Indian Express.
Sharmistha’s Reply
Sharmistha asked why Sonia should have been shocked by her father’s ambition. “What’s there to get ‘shocked’ about? Is it a crime to be ambitious, especially when that ‘ambition’ was supported by decades of experience in politics & governance, hard work & a brilliant mind?” she wrote.
She said that when she once asked Pranab whether he wanted to become prime minister, he gave a clear answer. According to her, he said that “any politician worth his salt has this ambition.”
Sharmistha said her father did not come from a powerful or privileged family. “My father came from a very humble background. Whatever he achieved in his life was through sheer merit & hard work. There was no one to serve him positions, including PM-ship, on a platter due to dynastic entitlements,” she said.
She also questioned whether Sonia’s surprise was linked to Pranab not belonging to the Gandhi-Nehru family. “If a well-deserving person harbours ambition to become Prime Minister, what’s wrong in that, unless Sonia ji was ‘shocked’ by the fact that anyone outside Gandhi-Nehru family could even dare to nurture such an ambition & furthermore dared to ‘hint’ it to her?” she said.
No Bitterness
Although Sharmistha objected to the way the episode was described, she agreed that her father did not hold a grudge against Sonia. Based on his diaries and their conversations, she said: “I would like to reassure her that he DID NOT hold it against her or anyone else.”
“He was a pragmatic person with deep understanding. He understood her reasons & insecurities that all human beings are prone to,” she added.
Sonia’s memoir also mentions that Pranab Mukherjee left the Congress in 1984 after Rajiv Gandhi was chosen as prime minister. He returned to the party in 1989. Sonia writes that, despite holding important positions in earlier Congress governments, he believed his experience made him a natural choice for prime minister.